National Security in the Polls

President Bush has used “national security” as his signature issue since 9/11. The economy’s down? Hey, don’t forget we’re fighting the war on terror. But for the first time in a long while, Americans have started saying that they trust the Democratic Party on national security issues more than they do the president, 43-41 percent. Considering that in 2004, Bush won partly because voters had more confidence in him than in John Kerry over the “war on terror,” it’s hard to dismiss these polls as significant.

Also, according to a new poll on the Dubai port deal, just 17 percent of Americans favor letting a Dubai operate U.S. ports, while a walloping 65 percent believe the sale should be prohibited. Where this will push Republican members of Congress, we don’t know. But to remain in the good graces of the 65 percent of Americans who don’t support the Dubai deal, it would seem wise to part ways with the president.